Plagiarism and international students in academic libraries

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe how plagiarism and the detection of plagiarism are interwoven with the education of international students. Design/methodology/approach The literature searches encompassed articles on the issue of plagiarism as it affects students coming from abroad. Findings There is a definite problem involved in the interaction of international students in a higher education setting and plagiarism. Research limitations/implications Although no survey was done for this article, much of the information gathered regarding plagiarism is dependent on external surveys. These surveys may not always be answered truthfully despite anonymity. There is also a dearth of data on plagiarism and international students. There is some anecdotal data on the subject. Practical implications Although plagiarism is a serious problem on academic campuses, libraries and librarians can offer substantial help in deterring and preventing plagiarism especially with regard to international students. Originality/value Librarians, knowledgeable about citation style sheets and formats, can be very valuable to international students who lack the skills. Students can learn to improve their citation skills with the help of a librarian with good bibliographic skills.